The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has a responsibility to protect, conserve and manage Western Australia's water resources and the environment.
Planning and managing water for urban development is important to enable the growth of liveable and water smart communities without impacting our precious water resources.
Drainage is important for urban development and should be considered early in the land planning process to ensure it can be managed within the confines of proposed development.
To achieve this, we advocate for the use of water sensitive urban design to achieve better water and environmental outcomes.
Water sensitive urban design is a planning and design approach that incorporates the sustainable management and integration of stormwater, groundwater, wastewater, and water supply into the built form of communities, and uses site-responsive drainage approaches that mimic natural water cycle processes.
More information on how we work within the Western Australian Planning Commission governance is described on our Water and land use planning advice page.
